Vent valve structure



Feb. 14, 195% MIKESKA 2,497,181

VENT VALVE STRUCTURE Filed July 1, 1946 ZUl EHZUF Patented Feb. 14,1950

VENT VALVE STRUCTURE .-:Peter Lawrence=.Mikesl;a, Chicago, Ill.,assignor to'TDhe Dole'ValvdJC'ompany; Chicago;. 111., a-corporation ofIllinois ei-Application July 1,- 1946;-Serial-No. 680,710

' 2"Claims. (Cl. 137-422) This invention relates toa vent. valve andmore particularly to ..-.an improved Syphon structure therefor.

As is well known in the art, thelausual radiator vent valve .has.iatthreaded. nipple. adapted. to be screwed intone:radiatoreorJther-like. and through which nippleiprojects 52m downwardlydepending curved swingable..syphon i tube for ,draining the waterfr-omthval-ve. -Frequently in applying the valve. to. the; radiator,. the;syphon .tube gets injured .orjamme'darid a ..a result, .thesy honing isinterfered with orlif a. tube is. closed by.v crimpingnollwaterrcan.flow-through; it. Modern fslim tube radiation 'has .campliczited i.the.Iclraining problem because .of .the .small..sectional ...area. in theradiator tubes.

lIt isianiobject of this linvention; to, provide an improved. vent.valve, structurev including .a. syphon tube --which will.more-readilyradjustitself to a proper position in radiator.

Another object .of this. invention-is to, provide a vent valve. ,withra..Sy-phon tubejstructure which lendslitseli toreconomical manufacture ona large production scale.

Yet. another'obje'ct of this invention is to provide, a vent valvesyphontube which will effectivelyjdrain, water accumulating in. thbottomof the valve fromthe valve intoithe radiator.

Another an'd stilrfu'rther objectof'the invention is to provide a.resiliently flexible syphon tube fora radiator valve'adapted to'drainw'aterfrom the valve in part by a capillary action.

"ln'accordance' with. the general features of. this invention thereisprovided in'a'vent valve structure, .includingithe usual twater"collecting" body, a threaded nipple for'attachment. to the radiator,and a Syphon" tube projecting through the nipple comprising a" resilientspring wire swingable .to; :a downwardly :depending position 1 in theradiator for'draining' the valve.

Other features "or 'thei'invention. relateto'the provisionof"several'difierentforms of means for holding the springawire in. a.bentorangular 'condition, in one of which the means comprises anextensionof. the, springzitselfiaand in'i the other: of which a separatestrip is disposedfinside and fastened to the. ends ofltherspring. toholdthe spring in the bent angular shape.

Still .other features of the-invention relate to the :'manner win -whichttheuspring Wire syphon valve isattachedto the internal-wall of theradiator nipple.

'lfotheriobj acts and. features .of this inventionwill more fully appearfrom the following detailed description taken in connection with theaccom- 2 panying drawings which illustrate several embodiments thereofand in which i Figure l isa side-view'of a vent valve provided with-Laresilient wire syphon 1 tube embracing'the features of this invention;

:Figure 2: is :an enlarged fragmentary crosssectional view through alower-part of the valve and the. nipple and showing'the manner in-whiohthe Syphon tubeis'carried thereby.

:l igure =3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on substantially.the line 'III-'III of Figure 21 through the spring wi re-syphon -tube;

rFigure 42 is' aseotional view similartd Figure'2, but illustratinga-modified form of means-or strip for holdingthe syphon tube inangularor=bent condition;

:Figure 5 is :an enlargedcross-sectional View taken on substantially theline 'V-V of "Figure?! looking in the direction indicatedby-the arrowsand ashowing the fastening of the strip tothe lower end of the spring;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view throughrarlower end of amodified form'ofspring and showing =a difi'erent connection between thespring retaining strip and'the lower end of the spring tube; and

:Figure? isasectional view similar to Figure-4, showing .a still furthermodificationofthe inventionwherein the spring syphon-tube does not'havecondensate or water 'l2-gets=above a certain level,

such water: can Ffiowi' through the nipple an'd out of the-xsyphontube'i2llvto be hereinafter described.

":The threaded :nipple l l I includesan internal curved afiange 1 l3rxsuitably anchored or fastened ..to therinside: surface-of? the wallor thev'a-lveilfl (EigureZZ). 'T-henipple i I has a' longitudinal bore i4? terminating. in u an enlarged bore l5' extending into the interior"of 'thevalve H1. The internal end of this bore i5 -is-enlarged" toprovide-a shoulder !6 for cooperation with the syphon tube structure 29,which I shall now describe.

In the first form of the invention, the syphon tube 20 is shown as beingcomposed of a spring wire 19 having its upper end turned inwardly insideof the wire tube into an extension 2|, which extends clear through tothe lower end of the tube where it is turned outwardly at 22 so as to beinterlocked with the lower end of the tube. In this manner, theresilient tube IS can be held in a bent angular formation, as shown inFigure 2. In other words, the inwardly turned wire extremity 2| of thespring is of a length less than the overall length of the spring l9 sothat when its end is fastened at 22 to the lower end of the spring, itwill hold the spring in the angular form shown.

The upper end of the spring syphon tube I9 is suitably fastened insideof a metal ferrule 23. Any suitable means, such as soldering or thelike, may be employed for anchoring the spring to the ferrule 23. Theferrule in turn is swivelly mounted in a washer 24, suitably anchored asby means of solder or the like, to the shoulder l of the nipple I. Itwill be noted that the innermost end of the ferrule is flared outwardlyat 25 so as to swivelly lock the ferrule to the washer 24.

In Figure 4 I have illustrated a slight modification of the inventionwherein there is provided a tubular threaded nipple 30 having alongitudinal bore 3|, which communicates with the angular bore 32,terminating in an annular shoulder 33. Projecting into the tubularnipple is a wire spring syphon tube 35 having an internal strip of metal36 for holding it in angular form. This strip 36 is turned outwardlyaround the lower end of the spring at 37 to tightly grip the same. Theother and upper end of the strip 36 is interlocked with the metalferrule 38. The upper end of the spring tube 35 is suitably fastened inthe bore of the ferrule as by means of solder, and the ferrule is inturn swivelly mounted in a washer 39, suitably fastened to the nippleshoulder 33.

It will be perceived, as in the first form, that the ferrule 33 has itsinner end flared at 40 so as to swivelly lock the ferrule and tube 35 tothe fixed washer. The upper end of the strip 36 holding the spring 35 isturned at 4| and interlocked with the flared edge 40 of the ferrule soas to hold the spring tube 35 in the angular shape shown.

In the slight modification shown in Figure 6 the spring tube 35corresponds identically with the tube assembly 35, with the exceptionthat the lower end 3'! of the strip 36' is of a slightly differentconstruction. This lower end is double backed upon itself at 45 and ischanneled above the double backed portion so that the end of the springwire 35' can be received between the spring 36 and strip end 31.

In Figure '7 I have illustrated still another form of the inventionwherein the threaded nipple 50' is provided with a bore 5| having anenlarged bore 52, through which bores extends a spring syphon tube 53embodying the features of this invention. This spring tube assembly hasits flared ferrule 54 swivelly mounted in a fixedly carried washer 55.In other words, this form of the invention is substantially identical tothat shown in Figures 2 and 4, with the exception that the wire springtube 53 does not have an internal strip or wire for holding it inangular shape. On the contrary the spring wire syphon tube extendsstraight out of the metal nipple 50.

In all forms of the invention the syphon tube is positioned inside ofthe radiator by the act of screwing the nipple into the radiator in theusual manner. In the first three forms of the invention the syphon tubewill swing in the radiator by reason of its swivel mounting until itsfree end is lowermost. In the last form of the invention shown in Figure7, the spring wire 53 upon contacting the inner surface of the radiatorcan bend or flex downwardly for the purpose of conducting water from thevent valve l0 back into the radiator; or, the spring wire 53 can remainsubstantially straight, and as the radiator surface becomes wetted toform the other water leg of syphon, draining of the valve [0 is had butat a slow rate.

In all forms of the invention, except the case where the spring wire 53in Figure '7 is straight or substantially straight even when installedin a radiator, as is customary in the art, the water is syphoned fromthe vent valve ID by the tube and is conducted in part by capillarityalong the coils of the tube so that the water will be discharged fromthe free or lowermost end of the spring wire tube.

In the first three forms of the invention, the tube is at all times heldin a predetermined angular shape which may be substantially a rightangle, whereas in the last form the tube can be designed so as to eitherremain substantially straight when installed in a radiator or else canbe bent into an angular shape as the nipple is progressively screwedinto the radiator opening.

Accordingly, I have provided a very simple but effective structure forventing water from valves of the type used in steam or vapor radiators,and wherein the syphon tube may be very economically manufactured. Then,too, the resilient character of the spring syphon tube permits of it toyield as it is installed so that it will not become dented, damaged orjammed in the act of mounting the valve on the radiator. In existingstructures where a solid metal syphon tube is used, unless care isexercised, the tube is apt to be damaged or jammed in the act ofmounting the same, especially when modern slim tube radiation is used.This undesirable feature of previous structures has been eliminated inmy new resiliently flexible syphon tube.

I claim as my invention:

1. As an article of manufacture, a vent valve structure havingprojecting therefrom a helical coil spring syphon tube for conductingliquid by capillarity along the coils of the tube.

2. As an article of manufacture, a vent valve structure havingprojecting therefrom a resilient wire syphon tube, said wire tube havingan internal connecting element between its ends for holding it in a bentangular condition with its lower end depending from the valve in aposition for insertion in a radiator opening.

PETER LAWRENCE MIKESKA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 774,799 Van Brunt Nov. 15, 1904889,142 Leuthesser May 26, 1908 1,056,110 Miller Mar. 18, 1913 2,320,162Zelnis May 25, 1943

